Are We Doing All We Can to Achieve our Promised Crowns

Good afternoon, everyone! It's great to see everybody here. I hope you've had a wonderful week. Disney has made a fortune over the years making movies about princesses and princes. And I think it's this ultimate romantic notion of a nobody going to royalty. Right? It's the ultimate transformation to success. And I think what's amazing is that what's a fantasy in the movies is a reality that we get to look forward to in God's Kingdom. If you'll please turn to Revelation 3 in verse 11. Revelation 3 in verse 11. What's your mental picture when you envision becoming a king or a queen? Probably somewhere along the way you picture thrones or gold or a castle. And as you go down that path, probably you have a mental picture that involves wearing a crown. I think a very inspiring thing about what the Bible offers is that God has, in store for us, the opportunity to wear some very special crowns if we obey. Revelation 3 in verse 11. Behold, I come quickly, hold fast which you have, that no man take your crown. So he says, don't let anyone take your crown. That means clearly being royal and wearing a crown is something very special that we're entitled to, but also something that we should protect. So do you know what crowns are promised to you? What do they mean? What's the meaning of these crowns? Do they only represent salvation? Do they represent something more? I'd argue that if you and I don't know the answer to those questions, we're going to have a harder time to hold fast and to protect them. Well, today we're going to answer those questions. And I'd like to start by helping you learn a little bit more about crowns in general. There's a lot of words throughout the Bible that are used for crowns, but in Greek there are two words that are mentioned in Scripture. The first one is diademma, and that means the royal crown. The other is stefanos, which is used almost exclusively for the victor's crown, such as what was given in athletic competitions or championships. So, which of these two words do you think is used as what's promised to us in the Bible? What's interesting is that, in general, crowns that are promised in the Bible don't symbolize royalty. The crowns we're going to discuss today from the New Testament, in all cases, aren't referencing the royal crown, but it's stefanos. It's the crown of joy or the crown of victory. That's what's being associated to us. It's what's promised as part of the riches to those who believe, to those who are part of God's kingdom. There are five crowns that God promises in the New Testament as a reward to those who follow Him, and those are going to be covered today, all five of them. And as we study these crowns, I hope you find that it's linked with some amazing promises, because they're very inspiring. But the Bible is a very, very curious book. It seems like the greater the promise we're given, the more sobering the expectation that comes along with it. And so I hope you find this topic both exciting, because of the promises that were given, but also humbling regarding what's expected of us in order to wear that. And the question I want you to think of throughout this message is, am I doing everything required to keep my crown? Am I doing everything required to keep my crown? To start, if you'll please turn to 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24 through 27. And while you're turning there, I'd like you to consider a modern example of Stephanos.

Pursuing rewards, pursuing recognition, it is common in today, and I would say especially so in sports. For example, there was a young boy who was unknown named Michael Phelps, who went to the Olympic Games in 2004. He was unknown until he won six gold medals. And suddenly he was all over TV, all over commercials, all over the news.

He then, as you know, went back for three more Olympics, ending in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. And Phelps finished with 28 total medals, 23 of which were gold. A fascinating stat is that he was the most successful athlete of the Games for four Olympics in a row. That's a fascinating thing to achieve. So, now you may not associate crowns with the Olympics. But in the old days, that's what they competed for. The victor received a crown rather than a gold medal. So, Jesus was promising crowns as a reward to those who would make an association, except he was promising it to those who endure on earth and those who follow him. 1 Corinthians 9, verse 24, says, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it, and every one who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty. Thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. The first crown we're told about is the imperishable, or the incorruptible crown. And there's a lot of descriptions that are mixed in those verses that I shared. So for each of the five crowns, what I'm going to do is I'm going to pull out a few lessons that come from the verses around them, describing the crown and describing the expectations associated with attaining them. And the first lesson that I'd like to introduce from what we just read with Paul is this. We must pursue what is lasting. We must pursue what is lasting. The crown won by the victor in the original Olympic Games was made of wild olive branches. See, we're very familiar with the Olympics, and that's what we think of when we think of the big sporting event that the whole world came together for. But that's not what the people in the New Testament would associate with. There was the Pythian Games that gave victors a crown of laurel. There was the Nemean Games that actually wore a crown of parsley. That would be a very short-lived crown, but it got a crown of parsley. And then there was the Istvian Games. And for those who were in Greece, you'll recognize that. That was held in Corinth, where Paul was writing. And the Istvian Games gave a crown made of pine. So these all were referencing corruptible crowns that would begin to wither as soon as they were cut from the tree or pulled from the ground.

And I think you can equate that very easy to physical success, the things we go for in this life. And as was mentioned in this sermon, there is nothing wrong in trying to excel in enjoying the crown of physical success in this life. But the key thing is realizing that all of those successes are temporary. Paul compared the true victor's crown, or as I should say, the crown won the game, as symbolic of the greater reward promised to us, the faithful Christians. And he said, I don't seek worldly honors. Instead, he contended for an incorruptible crown, a heavenly inheritance. And as was mentioned, that's why every year we get the feast. We get kind of reprioritized and refocused to remember what's lasting, remember what's most important. Hello, wake up, Dan! That's the reason, that's put there. So Paul made it very clear that he took it seriously. If you look back at verse 26, it says, Thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I discipline my body, and I bring it into subjection. Lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. So Paul said he did not beat the air. What he's describing is shadowboxing. You've all probably seen a boxer before an event where they're kind of prepping what would happen if the person would come at them, and they're shadowboxing. The lesson here is about pursuing what's lasting. Pursuing earthly honors and wealth is shadowboxing. You're fighting for something imaginary. And so I think this example applies equally well to how we pursue Christianity. How do you and I pursue our Christian faith? If someone was to poll our neighbors or our coworkers, what crown would they say we're competing for? Or if somebody was to poll and ask questions to our loved ones, or those who see us most often, where would they say we put our treasure or our focus?

And of course, most importantly, God knows our heart. What does God see reflected in us? Are we competing most to find success and stature in this life, at work, through possessions, through accomplishments?

Again, success is not a bad thing. But the key is where we put our primary priorities. And Paul said he wasn't just playing church. Do we? Now, an obvious thing with Paul is he never thought of salvation coming through inactivity. People who make that knowledge don't get Paul, because he was a very active person. He was a very passionate person. And so the lesson he taught here is that we should make every possible effort to secure eternal life in an incorruptible crown. That's what we should seek first. And the award God gives us as a result, it won't swell our physical bank accounts, but they will provide eternal riches. Another lesson that's linked to this crown is that we need self-discipline to the end. We need self-discipline to the end.

Have you ever thought of Paul as a sports fan? He must have been, because he often refers to athletics. And he seems to be fascinated by this picture of an athlete. He insisted to the Corinthians, who wanted to take the easy way, that no person would ever get anywhere spiritually without strict self-discipline. And so the analogy he used here is that of an athlete, training and the intensity they have to put into it. And so again, remember, Paul is trying to draw on something that they would know, which was the Isthman games. And it makes me wonder, like we always do things in season, when he wrote this letter, were they going on? Was it that time of the year? Or however the cadence was? Makes me wonder. But since it was the second biggest sporting event to the Olympics of that time, I think the example would really resonate. Because all of them would have seen how much these athletes train and how much they put into it.

And all of that was for a crown of pine.

How much should a Christian discipline himself to win something that's way, way greater? Eternal. So he says, Paul had a glorious prize that he was looking for. He said, And he was saying that everybody you see in the Isthman games is working to get one crown. In the Christian race, all run so as to obtain the prize. And that's a beautiful concept that he's contrasting. Anyone who runs within the lines God has established, who keeps to the path of obedience prescribed until the end of their life, will not lose their crown. Even though others will get their first.

It doesn't hold us back.

The fact that we have that uncertainty removed, I would argue, means that we should actually work harder than the physical athletes. The Olympians we see that are out there. It should help us persist in our life's race.

Do you push yourself in following God like a professional athlete?

Do you work that hard? So with that as a backdrop, Paul stressed for the Corinthians to focus on your duty. He said, The runs that you may obtain.

So again, the Bible is all about personal Christian living. Are we Christians who run with a clear aim?

Do we move forward with a primary goal, or do we get easily sidetracked? Do we get distracted?

Each Sabbath, I would argue, we're reminded about our ultimate destination to aim for, we're reminded about how to get there. Do we let other things, then, during the week distract us along the way, and then, Oh, that's right, I need to be focusing on what's most important. Please turn to James 1 in verse 12. James 1 in verse 12. And this is going to take us to the second crown that we're going to learn about. The second crown shows us what our incorruptible hope is in. And the second crown is the crown of life. James 1 in verse 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptations, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Now, an interesting thing you'll notice for the rest of the crowns is you'll see them referred to as the crown of, and then the descriptive word, which in this situation is life. What that phrase means literally is the crown which consists of, in this case, life. To win this crown of life is to be crowned with life. The Christian crown consists of a new kind of living, of having Christ live in us for eternity. So what lessons do we draw from this one? One is that we must love God through trials. We need to be able to love God through trials. Because I'd argue if we meet trials in the right way, then there's promise, joy, both in this life and the life to follow. James 1, 12 says, Blessed is the man that endures temptations, for when he is approved, approved, the word literally means to be tested and seen as genuine and complete. When that's happened, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. So now let's keep reading.

Friends, this life is our proven ground. And that's why God says we're blessed if and when we endure temptations. Testing is one of God's methods of developing our faith. And it helps us grow. It helps us develop patience, for sure. There's a lot that we learn along the way. So no matter the hardship of life that we face or that we experience, God has something in mind that we can learn from it. Something that can make us grow for the future. And so with this as perspective, any experience we face in life can be a chance to prove our worthiness, to wear the crown of life. There's a Jewish writing called the Shemothraba, and the following are what's taught.

So much of the Bible, so much of these things are so much easier to say than do, right? But testing of any kind is tough, especially when it's severe trials or severe tragedy. And I know I look around and there's people in this room that have all faced that.

It has the tendency to produce a cloud of pessimism or hopelessness. And so I don't blame the parent whose child is ill with a deadly disease for feeling down, for feeling confused. I don't blame them for asking why. Because those feelings are normal.

But the question is, what do we do after they surface? That's always the question in life. One of my favorite books is Tuesdays with Morrie. I think I've referenced it several times in here. It's about a person dying of ALS, and if you haven't read it, I absolutely recommend it. So Morrie was asked if he ever felt sorry for himself.

And he said, sure, I often wake up and have a good cry for ten minutes, but then I stop. Interesting perspective, because he recognized the power of fully feeling the emotions in life, but then moving past them. And I think God wants us as His children to have the confidence that He allows us trials for a very definite reason. So yes, we're going to feel the trial, but they're for a reason, because God has a purpose in all of it.

And that doesn't remove the pain or the hurt, but it helps us refocus it. And that's what God wants us to do. Turn next to Revelation 2, verses 8 through 11. And I'd like you to look at a second place that this crown of life is mentioned. So Revelation 2, 8 through 11. When I think on the testings of this life, I'm reminded of this story that I read about a deacon.

And there was a church, get together, as you've probably seen here in Bible studies, and they asked people to share their favorite verses. So, Pastor asked this one deacon. He stood up and he says, my favorite verse is a came to pass. And he sat down. Everybody looked at him, and they were puzzled.

So finally the pastor said, you need to tell us a little more. What do you mean your favorite verse is a came to pass? So the deacon stood back up and he said, when I have troubles and trials, I just go to the Lord and praise him. And I say, I thank you, Lord, that it came to pass.

It didn't come to stay. And he sat back down. I love that. We can all thank God that the troubles in this life aren't here to stay. Romans 2, verse 8, and to the angel of the church in Smyrna, right, these things says the first and the last, who was dead and who came to life. I know your works, tribulations, and poverty, but you were rich.

And I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested, and you will have tribulations ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes and shall be hurt, or shall not be hurt by the second death. John told the church at Smyrna to be faithful unto death. That's a perspective that I would argue he could champion, because for one thing he was able to witness the transfiguration.

That undoubtedly had a mark on him. You'll see later I'll refer to Peter referencing a crown, and I think that had an impact on the three people who witnessed it. He saw Jesus resurrected, too. So he could confidently urge people not to let the hazards of even death pull them away from the convictions of their faith. One of John's leading disciples was Polycarp, and I don't know if you heard the story about when he died. But when he was commanded to blaspheme Christ, he firmly answered, 80 in six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong.

How then can I blaspheme my king who has saved me? He was then burned to death. Now, that's a terrible way to die. But he did it cheerfully because he was doing it for Christ who was his Lord and Master. And I don't wish for any of us to be burned to death, but it's an issue of perspective. We can't receive the crown of life until we've successfully completed the race in this life. Spiritual character is revealed when the rubber meets the road. And sadly, I know you, like I, have seen a lot of amazing people who've done great things get to the last lap of their life and change. And that's a scary thought.

The next lesson...well, actually... Well, I'll go ahead. There's an area I remember along those lines that spoke of this wealthy man and famous man who was asked to have an autobiography written about him. And he said, no. He said, I will not let that be done. I've seen too many people fail in the last lap. So it's a concept that goes along that line. The next lesson regarding the crown of life is that being able to wear it is all about attitude. Being able to wear the crown of life is all about attitude. I think that's why it's interesting to see that the crown of life is specifically promised to those facing hard times. It's extended to those who don't sink beneath the waves of adversities. Because life's tough. Life, even at its best, can make people pessimistic. Hard times can make people cynics. I've been there. You've been there. We've seen people go there.

Even if you live with blessings, we can take them for granted. I know Drew and I were talking about that earlier in the day. And so that's something we need to think about. And if you want to hear an interesting irony along those lines, people who suffer a great deal are often in a closer loving relationship with Christ than the affluent. Have you noticed that? I know the Kiesels have. You've been in Africa. You absolutely see that. The poorest people in the world are often the most generous. I have had people who don't make in a year what is a common weekly salary in the United States, who have offered me food and shelter and compassion. It's humbling. It's beautiful. Some say that everybody in the U.S. is rich. And I will say at a minimum, we are very, very blessed and spoiled. But no matter how much we have or we don't have, we all face the same challenges. We face complacency. We face pride. Whatever. Do we let any blessing of this age cause us to be jaded or to lose our perspective?

And so James used the same argument that goes along with what Bill was saying, to warn the rich when he said in James 1, you don't need to turn there, but James 1, 11 says, you are like the grass. You know, the beauty of these physical blossoms will fall and fade away. Life may look pretty good for you and I today, and if so, awesome. It's a great blessing. If so, if our life is beautiful like a rose, then thank God. Enjoy it and share as much as you can. Right?

Here's my moment of poetry. Just as the flower will quickly wither, our earthly riches will not permanently deliver. All right, never mind. It rhymes, though, at least. I'll give myself credit for that one. But someday you and I will have to stand before Christ and be measured not on our spiritual, I mean on our physical portfolio, but our spiritual portfolio. And it's not going to be a pleasant experience if we've let ourselves be made bitter by the experiences that our loving heavenly God gave us to develop our character. Whether blessings or trials, I'd argue both. Some people are tried more by blessings than by trials. They take everything for granted, then they're spoiled. Turn now to 2 John 1 and verse 8. 2 John 1 and verse 8.

Suffering can bring us into a very loving relationship with Jesus Christ. How? It comes because it causes us to look forward to the day when He will bring us this crown of life. That's the perspective that suffering gives us.

Testing will either drive us to the Lord or it will drive us away from Him, which is why I say it's all about attitude. What do you do with what life faces you with? 2 John 1 and verse 8. Look to yourself that we do not lose those things we work for, but that we may receive a full reward. The final lesson that I would relate to the crown of life is that we're royalty waiting to be approved. We are royalty waiting to be approved.

And I think to understand all that John was teaching, both here and what he wrote in Revelation 2 to Smyrna, you have to visualize Smyrna. And Aranda was able to go there when we did the feast at the Seven Churches of Revelations.

Of all the cities of Asia, Smyrna was described as the loveliest. Men called the city an ornament, the crown or the flower of Asia. The historian Lucian said it was the fairest of the cities of Ionia. So, Smyrna, the way it was situated, was unique. It was at the end of this long arm of the sea that came and narrowed. And so, it ended in this tiny landlocked harbor. It was one of the safest places around, because what they would do, because the way it came together, is run a long chain across it if they were ever attacked, and boats couldn't get in. And because there were mountains on both sides, run this chain, you protected your harbor.

And so, it was described as one of these great trade cities for all of the valley that led into it. So, all this commerce would flow in there. Then, behind the city, there was what was called the pagos, a city, a set of hills that covered the background of this area. And on top of it were built these temples and these noble buildings, and they were described as the crown of Smyrna. Again, so much of what Paul wrote was imagery to the people he was talking to. And same with John. So, a traveler once described this as the queenly city crowned with towers. So again, that reference to crowns that John wrote was very intentional.

So, with all of that symbolism that they were writing, it should have even a higher meaning to our calling. Because we're royalty waiting to be approved. Christians should have a joy that no other person could ever have.

Because God has thought us worthy at a minimum—not the minimum, don't take that wrong—but He's caused us worthy for the life and death of Christ. That's the greatest gift you could ever have. We have access to a royalty that no other man, other than Jesus, has ever realized. And we have a chance to be God's children. That's an amazing crown, and it's available no matter how humble or how blessed our earthly circumstances are. So, that's the final lesson on this crown of life, that we're royalty. We are waiting to be approved. So, if you'll turn now to 1 Thessalonians 2, and we'll read verses 17 through 20, and we'll read the third crown that's promised to us in the Bible. And this is the crown of rejoicing.

The crown of rejoicing builds naturally on this concept of the crown of life, because this is what you do when you think about what we have potentially in front of us. 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 17. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavor more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore, we want to come to you, even I, Paul, time and again. But Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, our joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming? For you are our glory and joy. So, Paul said that he and his fellow travelers had a crown of rejoicing, literally a crown of boasting or exulting. And before you judge Paul, thinking that he is boasting about his own spiritual opportunities, read it again.

Because that's not what Paul is saying. The first lesson is that the crown of rejoicing is about brotherly affection. The crown of rejoicing is about brotherly affection. The 1st Thessalonians has been described as this classic letter of friendship. And there's just a lot of emotion and a lot of love that's shown throughout this book. So even 2,000 years later, you can see how much Paul cared for the people in this church area. Verse 19, For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming? For you are our glory and our joy. So what this is telling us is to enjoy the crown of rejoicing. We have to have and to be firm on what our hope is based on. Paul's hope wasn't about himself. Oh, he wanted to be in the kingdom. But we're called to be God's tools. God's purpose is to bring a family into being. And so he was excited about his spiritual brothers being with Christ at his coming. Which is an interesting question. How much do we want each other to be in the kingdom of God? Do we pray about that? Do we think about that? You know, I talk to God a lot about wanting to be there myself. I have opportunity here to be able to show the same emotion that Paul did. And one of the great things that Paul looked forward to when Christ returned to resurrect his church was the opportunity to see the people that he had been used as a tool for. That he had been able to, as he surrendered to Christ, to be a conduit to. That God could work through, and they were called in. A Christian professor named McGregor once said something that was similar about the students he taught. He said, no greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth.

I saw that exact same emotion in reverse from Dr. Ward. A few years after the worldwide split, we ran into each other again, and he had passion. You could almost see tears welling up in his eyes when he thought about all of the many students that he taught and all the lessons he taught and those who had left the truth. And he looked at me and he says, what did we do wrong?

And I think Paul could say amen to both these ministers because they came from two different angles, but the exact same emotion. The glory of any teacher lies in their students. And if the day comes that the student surpasses the teacher, even better. And I'm sure that's true for all the pastors along the way. But is this a lesson that's only for pastors? Is this something that only they should feel regarding their flock? Or does this expectation apply to you and me?

Obviously, it applies to all of us. A Christian's greatest glory should be with those that he or she has the opportunity to help on the path to Christ. So let me turn this around and ask you a question. How many of you entered the church because of the example of another member? Probably if you think about your callings along the way, and for second generation Christians, it's your parents. And those who you grew up around who are inspirations to you.

Who are the living spiritual pillars or examples that you look up to today? Again, if we had this interactive as a dialogue, we could list a hundred people who have nothing to do with the ministry, but are examples that touch your lives. And that's what's being described here. These are the people who have made you and me their crown of rejoicing.

So do we look to each other's salvation with that much importance? I think there's an opportunity in here. Is that one of our highest priorities? A second lesson regarding the crown of rejoicing is that distance should have no impact on our ability to touch others spiritually. Distance shouldn't have any impact on our ability to touch others spiritually. Because Paul was writing this to people a long way away, but he was assuring the Thessalonians that his affection, his high esteem, was with them, even though he wasn't able to be present.

He wanted them to know that they were his hope, joy, and crown of rejoicing. So what spiritual brothers do you or I count as our joy or our hope? I'll tell you, this is one of the big reasons I love to travel internationally. This is why I love going places for the feast. It shrinks the world. You see your family all over the world. I was reflecting when I was looking over my notes that this morning I texted and interacted with people in Canada, South America, and Europe, as well as throughout the U.S.

But I mean, that's an example of what this does. And I hope that you feel a bond toward people not only all over the country, but all over the world. So I'll give you an example of how I think we can apply this lesson today. Our prayers are really important, obviously. Do you pray for ministers around the world? Do you pray for ministers around the world? Because God really likes it when those who sow and those who reap rejoice and work together. And I can tell you the challenges facing ministers in other parts of the world are profound. Even as simple and...

again, the Kiesles can speak to this one. You, every time you travel to certain parts of the world, you are scared about what you're going to get sick and come back with. It is a very real plight that people go in. Many of the ministers, you may not realize the things they fight with are what they have had occurred to them over the course of their lifetime, visiting these third world countries.

Now, of course, we do need to deeply respect all that our ministers do. They give all for the Gospel. As you know, the ministry is not this lucrative profession. And so they have come to esteem the few things they do have as meaningless, and they serve us constantly. I'm truly grateful for all the grams they've done and supported and served us with over the years. And we should pray for those. But the lesson also extends beyond the ministry. It extends to the brethren in all of these different parts of the world, to every believer, regardless of distance.

Pray for them. Because there's challenges. I remember when I was in Africa, I think it's the person I was actually a minister in Kenya, but at that time he was this young kid, not too much older than Drew. His livelihood, because he couldn't go to school, was to fish. And while he was the feast, somebody stole his net, which was his only possession. He'd lost his income. You know, things like that. We don't realize the struggles that happen around the world and how important it is. And so when we care for others as our crown of rejoicing, God will celebrate that.

Let's now transition to the fourth crown that's promised to us. So if you'll turn to 2 Timothy 4, verses 6-8. 2 Timothy 4, verses 6-8. And the crown we're about to read about is the crown of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4, starting in verse 6. It says, So what you read here is that Paul is a very near the end of his life and he knew it.

He's this aged warrior. And good night, when you read the list of all that he went through, he had been through a lot.

And so he was kind of passing the baton on to Timothy. But he wasn't doing that sadly or reluctantly. He was okay with it. And so he was kind of passing the baton on to Timothy. But he wasn't doing that sadly or reluctantly. He was okay with it. And that was because he was excited about his destiny, a crown of righteousness. Now, what Paul refers to as a crown of righteousness, the actual language is a crown, one in the cause of righteousness. It's a crown that's given as a reward for serving Christ. And so that's never the crown of ambition or the prize for any kind of earthly distinction, obviously. But Paul was able to humbly look at everything that he was able to do. Paul was able to humbly look at all he had done, yielding himself to God, serving him with God working through him. And he could look back and he could see the reward that was there and feel happy about it. So what lessons do we take from these verses? The first is this. We must, like Paul, be willing to sacrifice all. We must be willing to sacrifice all. Paul says, my life has reached to the point where it must be sacrificed. Now, the word he used for sacrifice is the word splendestae, on a probably destroyed pronunciation, but it literally means to pour out as an offering to the God. So what the Romans would do at the end of meals would make a kind of sacrifice. They would get a cup of wine and they would pour it, splendestae, to the gods. So it's as if Paul were saying, the day has ended and it's time to rise and go, and my life must be poured out as a sacrifice to God. That's the message he's given.

So, clearly up to that moment, you know the Passion and Zeal of Paul. He'd given everything he had. He'd given his mind, he'd given his body, he'd given his knowledge and his time. He didn't have much money, but he gave that too as he pointed out to Corinth. He devoted his heart to God, and all that was left for him was to offer his life. And he said, you know, I'm gladly ready to do that. He didn't think of himself going to be executed. He came and thought of himself as offering his life to God. Paul then goes on to says, the time of my departure is at hand. Another interesting use of words. The word departure is annulusis, and it's a vivid one. It's made up of two words, and one of those words is luo, which means to untie or unloose. And that word is used in a number of ways that all connect to somebody leaving this life. It's the word that's used for unyoking an animal from a cart or a plow. So, death to Paul was rest from toil. It's the word that's used for loosening bonds or handcuffs. So, death for Paul was released. He was ready to exchange being in a jail in Rome, being all locked up for spiritual resurrection. It's the word that's used for loosening the ropes of a tent. So, for Paul, it was time to strike camp again. He was taking and had taken all sorts of journeys. You'd see all the journeys of Paul, right? Back of your Bible. Now he was setting out on his last and his greatest journey.

And it's the word that's also used for loosening the mooring ropes of a ship. And, as you know, Paul had been on a whole lot of ship travels, traveling through the Mediterranean primary. And in a sense, he was saying, don't look at my execution and don't feel bad about it. I'm like a ship that's been tied up at the harbor all this time. And so when death comes, my next memory will be the resurrection and being with Christ, which will be a whole lot better.

So, what does all that mean for you and for me? We also have to be willing to lose everything from whatever is physically binding us to Satan's world. We have to lose that. We have to let it go. Your things you hang on to are different than mine, but we all struggle with them. And Satan knows what they are, and he attacks us for all it's worth around them. But that's what we're working on.

It's only when we lay down our physical burdens that we can find spiritual rest. Another quote I've always loved from the book Tuesdays with Morrie is he taught, When you learn how to die, you will learn how to live. When you learn how to die, you will learn how to live. And most people try to get their life in order when they know their days are coming short. And that is totally backwards. Morrie taught that when we get to the point where our actions are at peace with our ultimately dying, we've then suddenly learned how to live, which is why we come to church. That's the perspective God wants us to have. We don't have to wait till our deathbed to figure that out.

And so, a similar concept was when I used to have this little picture of a beautiful boat going out onto the ocean on my desk at work for years and years, and it said, You can't find new lands until you're willing to lose sight of the shore. You can flip that spiritual. You can't find new lands, God's kingdom, unless you're willing to lose sight of the shore, Satan's world. We've got to be able to lose ourselves from it, though. And Paul said that was laid up for him a crown of righteousness. And that made him at peace, even with death.

No matter what Satan threw at him, he was going to be fine with it. For the second and third lesson, I'd like us to focus on 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. Because, again, Paul returns to a sports analogy. 2 Timothy 4, verse 7. I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. So what does a fight, a race, and faith have in common? Paul was not mentioning 3 different pictures from different spheres of life. What he was making is a connection to the Olympics, to the Ismian Games. And so the lesson from the first two parts of this verse are that the crown goes to the person who persists. The crown goes to the person who persists. The verse says, I have fought the good fight. The word he used for fight is agon, which is the word for a contest in the arena. If you want to picture that, if you're of knowledge of the Roman times. And when an athlete gave their best, even win or lose, they can feel deeply satisfied. And so Paul was coming to the end of his life, and he knew he'd given it his all. And that's something we're always going through. Our life is not only a battle, it's a race. And so therefore Paul goes on and says, I've finished the race.

It's easy to begin things. It is hard to finish them. We're talking about what Drew said about setting goals yesterday. I don't want to set goals. Well, if you don't ever set goals, you're never going to get to the end of them and feel the success of it. And a clear necessity for us to receive eternal life is staying power. Again, you and I all know many people who have made it much of the way and then backed off. Perhaps the world's most famous race is the marathon. And you know the story, the background of where that word came from. There was the famous Battle of Marathon that was fought, that was a decisive battle in the world. It was the Persians and the Greeks fighting. And if the Persians had won, we would never know of the Greek Empire like we do today. So Greeks were greatly outnumbered, but against these crazy odds, they won. And after the battle, a Greek soldier ran all the way day and night and arrived in Athens, went up to the magistrates and gas, rejoiced, we have conquered, and he died.

He had completed his course. He had done his work. And so, again, Paul was using the analogies of the time. He was saying, I'm a disciplined athlete and I'm striving to win a prize in my spiritual race.

And so, where are we at in that? How are we doing? Are we going through hard times that make us want to give up? If so, if you have some struggle right now going on in your life, keep the crown of righteousness in mind and keep going. Don't give up. That's what Paul is encouraging us. And for our final lesson on the crown of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4, 7 says, I fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. So the third lesson is, we must keep the faith. The phrase, keeping the faith, can have multiple meanings. And so, again, reflect back on games. So many things he talked about were sports analogies. With the Olympics, at that time, the competitors would all meet, and the day before would take a solemn oath before the gods that they had done at least 10 months of training and that they would not resort to any trickery to win. And so Paul was making a connection. He was saying, I have kept the rules. I have played the game faithfully. It would be a great thing that we could all say to God, right? If we were able to say that at the end, it would be a wonderful thing. Now, the phrase, keep the faith, could also have a business meaning to it.

It was regularly used in Greek to say, I have kept the conditions of the contract. I have been true to my engagement. And so if Paul used it this way, he meant that he had engaged himself to serve Christ and had stood by that engagement and never let his master down. It's actually a third way he could have used it, too. And that is to say, I have kept my faith. I have never lost my confidence and my hope. And if he used it that way, he meant that through thick and thin, whether he was free or imprisoned, in all of the perils, he had never lost his trust in Christ. And all three of them could apply. Again, there are so many different methods that the words can be looked at and they would all be relevant. But he's using this sports analogy to the verdict of mankind. And he knew that in a short period of time, he was going to go before the Roman leaders. And he knew what Nero was going to say. He knew he was about to die.

But the man whose life was dedicated to Christ showed that he wasn't different to that. He really wasn't worried about that part. And since he kept the faith, he knew that when he saw Christ, Christ was going to say, Well done, my good and faithful servant. And so he was encouraging Timothy, who he was passing the baton to. And he was saying, basically, Timothy, my end is coming. And I know that I go to my reward. If you follow in my steps, you'll feel this same confidence. Don't we all want to be able to feel that confidence when we're approaching death? And be able to say the words like he did? He said, you will feel that same confidence and share in that same joy.

And I think that's important. And that comes from us being a good steward of what we're promised. We are to keep the faith. How are we doing?

So let's now go to the fifth crown that's promised. And we'll see that in 1 Peter 5, verses 1 through 4. 1 Peter 5, verses 1 through 4. The final crown Peter revealed to us is the crown of glory. The crown of glory.

1 Peter 5, 1 says, The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that we revealed, shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, not as being lords over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock. And when the cheap shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

There are a lot of different words throughout the Bible that are translated as glory. And it's a word we use today, but I wonder if we all see it the same. I wonder if we all have the same pictures of it. What do you understand of glory? How big is it? What color is it? What does it look like?

And I would suspect that the average Christian might struggle a little bit with that. You don't need to turn there, but I'll give you one verse to give you an easy picture of that. Psalm 19, verse 1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament, or the earth, show his handiwork. So what that's telling me is, if you want to see the glory of God, go outside at night and look up at the stars, and then during the day look around at the earth.

That gives you a pretty good feel. I love in fall seeing all the colors that are on the leaves.

That's glory. That's God's glory. I'd love during, well, in California it was year-round. You'd see the roses and the flowers that would be out there year-round. But around here you'd appreciate it even more when they do bud, and you see all of that. That's glory.

So let's finish with a few lessons regarding the crown of glory. The first one I would like you to turn to Proverbs 4, 7-9. But keep a finger where you're at in Peter, because we're going to come right back. Proverbs 4, verses 7-9. You're going to find the phrase, crown of glory, as mentioned several times in the Bible. So we're going to turn to one of them. In this one, Solomon is teaching us a lesson, and the lesson is this. Glory in the future comes from wisdom today. Glory in the future comes from wisdom today. Proverbs 4, verse 7. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. And in all you're getting, get understanding. Exalt her and she will promote you. She will bring you honor when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory she will deliver to you.

So if the crown of glory sounds like something you want to claim in your life, then seeking godly wisdom can help provide it for you. What value do you and I put to gaining wisdom, to studying, to praying, to trying to grow in wisdom? Go ahead and flip back now to 1 Peter 5, and we'll read verses 2 through 3. See, wisdom helps us see that good things take sacrifice. It gives perspective. You could argue a whole lot of people would be willing to reign with Christ, but fewer are willing to suffer with him. Perspective. A whole lot of people would be willing to wear a crown of glory, but not a crown of thorns.

Again, Christ usually promises the most amazing things along with the, yeah, but be ready for this. This is what's going to come with it along the way. It's that contrast along the way. Do we have the wisdom and the conviction to see the connection between sharing in God's glory, sharing in his triumphs, and sharing in sacrifice and service and contempt and persecution?

Because they're almost always associated in the Bible. So with that as background, let's look at what Peter wrote, starting in verse 2. Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers not by the compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

What he's teaching is wisdom. Elders, and anyone wanting to be a king and a priest, this is not only about elders. We're all asked to take these roles, ultimately, are directed to feed the flock of God and not lord over them. That's for all of us. That's what's expected of us. And we could spend a whole message, you've heard messages on wisdom, but you get the point. Part of the way to get to the crown of glory is recognizing the link with wisdom. For the final lesson, I'd like to read verse 4. And what Peter said is, And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

So the final lesson is this. Perspective helps us keep our eyes on the lasting prize. Perspective helps us keep our eyes on the lasting prize. So Peter was encouraged in the face of every trial by the hope of a crown of glory that he knew wouldn't fade away.

And so he was looking, and he saw something that was lasting, something that was incomparable. The word Peter used for that does not fade away, it was only used this one time in the Bible, in the New Testament, but it refers to a contrast of flowers fading away, which is the logical thing you would associate, and how they die away. Think of the crowns again that were worn in the Olympics. So what then is this crown of glory?

I believe it means that we're going to share one day in God's glory. That's our future inheritance. That's the future inheritance of the saints. It's this perpetual brilliance and splendor for millions and billions of years. And that not only means that we'll be able to explore and share of all of His creation, but you and I are going to have His power.

We are going to have His mind. We're going to have the capabilities of a spirit being. It's an amazing crown to think about, but that's what's promised to us. And again, all this is a contrast, contrast to the temporary, to the physical things that we all day to day hope for. We get hungry. We crave food. We see a nice outfit.

We'd really like to have that. It's human. These things happen. We want health. But the glory of God's creation is what we can look to, because it's almost incomprehensible. That's what I spoke to in my last message, right? And it's fascinating, too, because the more science learns about God, they're looking through what humans can see of the universe.

And that's so limited. Turn to Isaiah 28.5 as the final verse. Our best guess of this universe and creation is so limited. You could argue it's like the front lawn, the front yard of what God has out there. We don't even know the tiniest minutia of what He sees and, more importantly, what He knows.

And that's glory. That is the greatness of God, and that's what's promised to us. Isaiah 28 and verse 5, it says, In that day, speaking about Christ's return, Shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory and for a diadem of beauty, Unto the remainder of His people? You and me. If we make it to that day, A crown of glory and a diadem of beauty, Unto the remainder of His people?

The role God wants to play in our lives is transformational. And I don't know about you, but I would love to be counted among those who get to wear the crown of glory. That is just an ethereal thought. I hope today has been an enlightening review. You may not have always connected those five different crowns that are mentioned. And hopefully it inspired you by what's promised to you, but also that it's a little humbling about what's expected of us.

Again, so much of this related around the Olympics, around the games of the time, the Ismian games, and how much work people put for physical recognition. But you and I have the chance for eternal reward and eternal royalty, and that is so, so much greater. And all the promised crowns are there to give us perspective. What are you facing today?

What are you going to face tomorrow? Think of the crowns, because that's what they're given to us for. We have an infinite gain in front of us. And in light of that, we should be willing to endure whatever trials and tests you're facing now, or you're going to face tomorrow. And if we do, we will gain an incorruptible crown of life, rejoicing, righteousness, and glory.